Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 7
A Silent Contract
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all."
Making quick their steps down the arbitrarily placed cobblestone path, Sakura lead Itachi on their adventure, her excited, confident jade eyes glanced back at her companion on frequent intervals along the way. Being fairly obedient if not most but all her life, Sakura acknowledged how uncharacteristic her decision had been. She was by no means a risk taker, but tonight, she had the urging need to break that consistent good girl attitude. For Itachi, her actions, although sudden and refreshingly alarming, was still perceived to be encouraged by his brother, and the text message she received from him only moments ago. 'She's avoiding him, or rather, avoiding her feelings,' he thought for a moment feeling a sense of satisfaction in her resolve.
"Sakura?" Itachi's voice called out to her perhaps for the third time as he easily managed to keep up with her hurried strides. 'Why was she walking so quickly?' he thought, noting the extra effort made by her slim legs. Allowing his eyes to slowly lift from her legs to the lace which beautifully trimmed her pink nightgown, he webbed his brows together. With each rushed stride, the hem of the garment would lift ever so slightly revealing even more of her thigh and on occasion, Itachi would even be teased by a flash of her blushing pink underwear whenever she would take wider leap. 'She should not be wearing something like this outside her bedroom,' Itachi decided, fully perceptive of his budding temptation building in him once more, 'it is too indecent.'
Leaping over a few stones along the path, Sakura stumbled a little from time to time due to the feebly lite area but persistently pushed on. They were headed for the beach but Itachi was more curious with the reason why she had been walking so damn fast. "Sakura?" he spoke out again in a higher tone still receiving no reply, simply a reassuring cheerful glance from her mischievous face. Further up the path, Itachi chanced a glanced at the outdoor bar they had visited early only to see a familiar head of spikey dark hair hunched over a bar stool drinking. Instinctively, his stomach constricted somewhat and his pace slowed ever so slightly. 'Sasuke,' he easily recognized his brother's back despite the distance and also found it unusual for him to be drinking this late at night by his lonesome. 'What's wrong with him,' he thought now coming to a complete stop.
Feeling an unexpected pull of his arm, he immediately turned his attention down to Sakura, who, had firmly grabbed hold of his arm and continued pulling him down the incline towards the beach, her hair swooping and swirling graciously in the sea breeze. 'Had she not seen him?' he wondered, following her steps. Perhaps this was not the wisest of ideas. Feeling more skeptical at his choice to follow her, he closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head, trying to convince himself that skepticism was a natural symptom when taking risks. Noticing a pull of his hand in the opposite direction, Itachi ceased his strides, and his eyes opening instinctively. Not identifying the bouncing of Sakura's long pink hair in his immediate vision, he turned and spotted her behind him. She stopped? Analyzing her lifted brows and unsure eyes, he perceived her expression to be one of hesitation as he followed her gaze to the well illuminated sign a few meters away. Itachi could not hold back a happy chuckle from escaping his lips.
It amused him how Sakura's once absolute wall of confidence shattered by this one single obstacle, one single rule. "Absolutely no swimming at night," he heard her reading the red inked warning printed in Caps on the sign. 'So she did intend on going swimming,' Itachi smiled, successfully foreseeing her intentions. Folding him arms over his chest, he closed his eyes in thought for a moment. They had been the sole couple on the beach, most patrons were either in their rooms or busy sharing laughs at the bar, making them stand out slightly. Hang on. 'Was she planning to wear that to go swimming?' Itachi opened his lids, noticing her hands drawn into her chest, seemingly petrified at the thought of getting caught.
"M-Maybe we should head back," her words came with a half-smile. Itachi, not permitting an immediate response, glanced around in an attempt to find a solution. The life guard was not on duty and security had not been in sight either. "Itachi?-"
"This way," he stated walking pass her up the incline once more but veering left to a low sea wall obscured behind a mass of black eroded rocks. Believing no one would discover them behind the poorly lite rocks, he presumed this spot to be the most acceptable for their secret escapade. The stone below their feet was smooth from the manmade path but Sakura, being sure to stay close behind him, took unsure steps still fearful of being caught.
"Itachi? Shouldn't we just go back to the room?-" she offered with doubt in her voice, almost like a plea.
"I thought we were out here to take risks," he smirked before lowering himself into a seated position near the edge of the wall. Listening to the swashing of the sea water as it splashed against the concrete wall, Itachi noted that the tide was relatively high tonight although still calm. Being frequently visited by the Uchiha family, he knew this particular spot well and was confident with the depth of the water on this side of the bay. 'Perfectly safe,' he concluded, if she was still willing to take a dip, 'provided she could swim of course.'
Lifting his gaze up to her, sighed at her trembling hands before stating, "no one will see us down here. Don't worry." Her hair blew violently into her face and eyes. She looked amazing from where he sat, getting a view of the full length of her long slim legs. Lifting her right hand to tuck the pestering strands behind her ears, she turned from him towards the water and allowed the wind to forcefully push her hair back instead.
Stooping down next to him, she dipped her right fingers almost cautiously into the water, investigating its temperature. "The life guard's post of just up the hill," she debated, still not convinced.
"Even if one comes, they would not be able to see us from down here," he informed.
"Are you sure?" she insisted, instantly upon contact with the water, she retracted her hand with a tiny squeal. Smiling lightly as her usual animated expressions he nodded. "It's so cold," she exclaimed before moving to sit next to him however, allowing her legs to dangle over the side of the wall into the icy water. Her fear was beginning to melt away as she was slowly beginning to trust his words.
"It was raining for most of the afternoon. It's to be expected," he stated, staring at the cloudy night's sky, glad she had finally calmed herself.
"Damn I really didn't think this through," she wined as she looked down at her feet, the cold water causing her pours to rise. Getting no response from the Uchiha, she glanced at him, at his calm indifferent face before beaming a smile. "So tell me, why does a Uchiha decide to become a teacher?" she inquired, playfully nudging him in the ribs. His expression had not changed, yet for what seemed like a split second, Sakura had been sure she had seen a hint of anxiety in his eyes.
"Perhaps for the same reason you decided to come out here," he offered dryly, seemingly unwilling to talk about it.
"Huh?"
"It's just something to do," he stated, moving his arms behind him to lean back slightly. Noting her dissatisfied with his reply, he chose his next words careful to avoid the topic from progressing any further. "Sometimes the corporate world can be a bit… demanding," his tone was involuntarily strained, "it's nice to have a change of pace every once in a while." Running his right hand through his bangs he sighed and turned his attention to her slim feet, twirling the water around them. Itachi, feeling the weight of his obligations pressing down on his shoulders for the first time in a few weeks turned his attention back to the sky. It had then dawned on him that they were both very similar, they were both running, running from the harsh realities of their lives, both using each other as their means of escape, both depending on each other.
Sakura was not forceful, she could tell he was avoiding the topic and respected his boundaries. She could see in his eyes, that unknown world which he had yet to reveal to her. There was more to this story and perhaps one day he would be willing to share it with her. "Has it come true yet?" she deviated, breaking the silence between them and easing the air. Glancing at her with confusion in his eyes he silently requested her to elaborate. "The wish you made for New Years," she prompted, slowly growing accustomed to the temperature of the water.
Allowing a smile to part his lips, Itachi responded, "perhaps or perhaps not."
"How vague," she giggled acknowledging his tendency to be cryptic and mysterious at times, but, she had gotten a smile from him, enough of an indication for her to pursue the topic more.
"It was a vague wish," he added, dipping his fingers into the water as she had done. Cold, as he expected, "has yours come true?"
"Uhh sort of," her tone shy and unsure, "I wished to be free of my feelings for Sasuke." Fixing her eyes on her twirling feet, a hint of sorrow could be seen from them, "I suppose it's a gradual process but… I wish… I wish I could speed up things a little."
"Everything shall happen in its correct time," he stated, veiling his obsidian eyes from her gaze. He had not noticed it previously but talking about her about her relationship with his brother had now become more challenging, more difficult for him to be objective. He had thankfully not expressed it in his tone however, he concluded that going forward, less they spoke of about it the better.
"Feelings huh… Always so complicated," she muttered swishing her legs back and forth, "what about your girlfriend Itachi? The one you said you don't speak to very often."
"What of her?" he asked, his tone indifferent as usual style.
"Have you spoken to her recently?"
"No."
"Don't you think she misses talking to you?" she delved deeper, tilting her head to the side, in the similar manner as his kitten, Nekomata, does when desiring his attention. He was slightly taken aback by how forward she was with such a personal matter, not that he minded speaking of this topic, but he wondered at what point they had become so familiar to discuss such things. Why was it so easy to share this part of him with her?
"No, that's highly unlikely," he responded, watching as the milky moon was engulf for a moment behind a dark cloud in the night's sky.
"Really?"
Sighing lightly he confessed, "words were not exactly exchanged between us but I made it perfectly clear long ago that I could not continue seeing her."
"W-why?" Sakura dared to asked, an instinctive sympathetic expression adorned her face. He was amazed, she had not known the situation yet was ready to console him.
"She was… she was a bit difficult to tolerate," Itachi stated, easier than he thought it would have been to say, "She demanded a tremendous amount of attention from me, I did not mind it at first, but, as time passed, she developed issues with Sasuke," he continued, witnessing the as once engulfed moon resurfaced.
"Why Sasuke?" she encouraged him.
"Whenever I scheduled time to spend with Sasuke, she would bring up unexpected, overdramatized emergencies, hindering our meet ups," he ran his fingers through his bangs, finally feeling the weight of his words on his shoulder.
"Why did she do that?" she asked with a stir of anger in her eyes and voice, her once swirling feet coming to an abrupt halt.
"She has yet to tell me," he answered, "one day, it came to a point where she presented me with an ultimatum, her or Sasuke."
"What?!" Sakura almost shouted, exclaiming her disapproval at the situation.
"It was an easy choice but… it was still difficult for me to bear," he confessed, remember those trying, lonely nights he endured as a result of refusing her, of choosing Sasuke over his love. "Somehow, Sasuke found out and became admittedly furious, especially since he had class with her ever week," he added, stretching his feet out slightly, being sure not to allow the hem of his long trousers to be dampen by the freezing water.
"So Sasuke knew her too… was her name Shizune?" she inquired, staring at her knees once more.
"It was," he answered, sighing at the sound of her name, remember for a moment Shizune's contented smiling face. However, too much time had passed for him to miss her, perhaps during moments of weakness but certainly not now, not in the presence of his rosette friend.
"Sasuke mentioned her, a long time ago," she confessed, "but he didn't have many nice things to say."
"Hn… I would imagine so," he shook his head, "but despite her controlling complex, she was still kind and a loving companion." In a sudden sweep, the pressure of Sakura's gentle touch pressed into his leg, warming the cool fabric which lay loosely against his skin. Turning to meet her sympathetic, worried eyes, he laid his hand atop hers lightly before parting his lips, "you need not concern yourself with this. She does not bear on my mind anymore," it had been the truth, however, he still welcomed her sympathy, and her touch. Nodding from his words, she did not continue the conversation, too many emotions were expressed in one day.
Releasing her small hand from his grasp, he watched as she moved closer to the edge of the wall, dipping her legs further into the depths, wearing an alluringly short nightgown gave her this benefit. Leaning forward to estimate how much effort she would have to put into swimming in the deep water, she tucked more loose strands behind her left ear and leaned forward slightly. It was at that moment Itachi noticed something quite peculiar. Glistening on her upper lobe were two, shiny gold studs.
'W-why does she?' Itachi knitted his brows together, not particularly liking this discovery. He did not mind piercings per say, perhaps often thought it to be absolutely alluring on some women but her, no, Sakura was a different story altogether. Piercings on her body, her immaculate perfection of a body, it seemed unnecessary. They did not look terrible merely out of place for her personality. "When did you get those?" he inquired watching her swirling her legs arbitrarily in the icy water. Turning to him, she followed his eyes to her left ear before lifting her hand and pressing her chilled fingers to the helix piercings.
A faint blush spread across her already rosy cheeks before she responded, "Uhh, it's a bit embarrassing… but I got it a few months ago."
Embarrassing? Now he was ever more curious. "Why is it embarrassing?" he inquired further.
"Well, you see, there was this guy-"
"Please don't tell me my brother encouraged this," he interrupted bowing his head.
"No-no way," she giggled before continuing, "his name was Sai, he's this brilliant artist… and," she hesitated, blushing feverishly, "I just happened to idolize him for some time." Unable to hide an embarrassing blush which now covered her cheeks, she turned the studs back and forth, being sure not to meet his intense gaze. "He told me that my body lacked personality," she continued, not noticing Itachi's seemingly irritated expression at her words, "so, one day, in the spur of the moment, I went with him and got them done."
"Why did his opinion matter so much?" Itachi asked with slight irritation in his tone. Where does this 'brilliant artist' get off tell her such things, moreover, why did she let him influence her so. No, he was not at all pleased by this information.
"Well…" she hesitated, "He was cute… and I was sort of using him to avert my feelings from Sasuke… I thought it would be kind of cool having some extra piercings," she finished, rubbing the back of her head in shame like Naruto often would when he was embarrassed.
Sighing, Itachi remained still, retaining once more his neutral expression.
"I regret it though, it was a hassle to treat and it took long to heal… and well, things never really worked out with Sai" a fake smile playing on her lips, "Sasuke also hated them" she informed him, referring to her piercings, "…And Sai," she finished lowering her hand, accidently brushing his hand on the concrete wall below them. Pulling her hand away swiftly, she blushed and chanced a glance at him. His eyes were closed and his face held that usual calm aura, silently acknowledging her touch. Tilting her head slightly, she wondered what had been going through his thoughts.
Remembering Sasuke's possessiveness of his pink haired student, he could only begin to perceive how furious Sasuke would have been tolerating this 'brilliant artist' or his influence on said student. "Do you have any others piercings?" he asked shyly. Sakura merely beamed a bright smile at him, finding his hesitation adorable.
"Maybe," she smiled as he met her teasing eyes, "maybe one day you might find out." Itachi was forced to hide his smirk. There it was again, her flirty remarks. Lifting to her feet, her fingers gripped the ends of her nightgown and slowly lifted it up and over her head, revealing the familiar pink underwear and bra. Shaking her hair free from the garment, she discarded the pink nightgown to the floor at his feet. All the while, Itachi kept his eyes locked on her figure. It was not like he had a choice otherwise. She looked simply too attractive and to look away would be dealing her an injustice. Unlike previously, he got the full view of her chest. Black floral embroidery design of the unlined racy bra lifted her supple, full bosom comfortably, accentuating her natural yet ever attractive physic. They were not oversized which he had previously deduced, but cute and modest, suiting her perfectly. Despite the poor lighting, her skin appeared like ivory, smooth and delicate and most importantly, free from any further studs or piercings.
Now forcing himself to look away, he took full, deep breaths in an attempt to reducing his arousal which was becoming ever so prominent, mentally praising himself for wearing loose fitting pants. "So, Uchiha Sensei, can you swim?" she taunted with playfulness in her eyes, diving in one sleek motion into the freezing cold water, she resurfaced, fighting back a yelp as she waited for her body to adjust to the temperature.
"It's…s-s-s-so c-cold," she squirmed, now holding onto the sea wall merely inches from his knee with her right hand for support, the other, wiping away excess water from her face. Itachi, chancing another glance at her allowed a partially visible smile to curl his lips. What had amused him so? Although she had not noticed, the coldness of the water had involuntarily caused harder peaks to poke through her thin unlined bra. "A-Aren't you coming in?" she invited, smiling hopefully up at him.
Lifting to his feet, Itachi pealed his shirt over his head and like her, discarded it at his feet. Although not acknowledging her gaze on his toned abs, he smiled and allowed her a moment to examine his physic. His structure was leaner and more delicate than his brother's however still strong and very striking. Plunging head first into the water, he resurfaced and brushed the bangs now plastered over his eyes back. If it was one thing he knew with absolute certainty, from her now blushing face, the sketch she drew of him and her flirty remarks from time to time was that she had not only found him alluring but acted on her attraction towards him be it only slightly.
Pale with quivering lower jaw and his bangs dripping water onto his cheeks, he maintained his position next to her, begging himself to remain calm as he pushed the icy needles of freezing water to the back of his mind. Being cautious not to scare her, he moved slowly, reducing the distance between them. She herself could not break the captivating trance placed on her by his gorgeous eyes. They were so familiar, just like Sasuke's yet so very different. Lifting his hand to pinch a stray pink strand which was plastered down upon her broad forehead, he secured it behind her left ear, taking the opportunity to graze his fingers over the two gold studs impaling the cartilage. His face, it was not indifferent but smiling as he enjoyed the blushing response he received from his touch. Being only the second time he had reached out to touch her, he could not help but imagine if he had given her the same warm fluffy sensation she gave him. Her eyes finally broke from his now unable to bear the heat that now penetrated her cheeks. He had not retracted his hand nor had he wanted to. He could not comprehend why such an adorable shy expression had such an effect on him, but it did.
Here he was, despite his obedient nature to follow the rules without fail, here he was in what felt like an impossible and therefore most fascinating dream. His obedience and self-borne morality was what he always clung to, it was who he had always been and the very source of his many unspoken challenges. The very reason for becoming a teacher was to satisfy his yearning for escape and now, now he felt weightless, at one with all that he was deep down, all that he wanted to be. All thoughts, all worries were now so far away, almost forgotten, floating away as the water washed over him. All because of her.
"I-Itachi?" her voice came at last, hesitant and shy like the first time she ever spoke to him, "you don't like them either, do you?" Tilting his head slightly, he moved fingers from her ear, down her cheek then down to her chin, titling it up slightly with his index finger.
Immediately regaining her attention, he responded, all the while inching closer, "I do not like the reason behind them… but, they, like everything else you wear is merely an accompaniment for you, an accessory for your simplicity, for the naturalness of your beauty." Sakura gasped, melting at each word. She, who had always had the pleasure of being praised for her attractiveness by numerous friends and potential suitors, had never been complemented the way she had just been before. His words, although simple, had expressed to her his true appreciation of her beauty which had enchanted him. It surprised her, melting away her steady breath and all doubt in her mind about his indifference towards her.
He was close now, merely inches from her yet, made no further efforts to move closer. He was curious to determine how she felt about him, about his praises and about his closeness. He needed some form of assurance that he was not the only sinner between them, that she, had also felt something towards him. "Sakura," he whispered as she followed his gaze from her jade eyes to her full pink lips. Instantly, her mind started racing, her hands trembled, not from icy water biting at her flesh, but from the anticipation. He however had not budged, allowing her the option the turn away, to deny him. This way he would know, this way he would discover her true feelings. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, she pulled back, unable to deal with his intensity. She, after a short while realized that he had no intention of kissing her, no intention of biting into that sweet forbidden apple that would evidently lead to betraying his younger brother. Itachi merely smiled, he had gotten enough reassurance, and more.
Pressing her palms into the smooth surface of the seawall, Sakura pulled herself out of the water and watched as he did the same. "…we should head back, it's starting to drizzle," she stated in a shy, fairly disappointed tone while wringing the excess water from her locks. Retrieving their garments, she handed the Uchiha his shirt before turning to make her way back up the hill in silence. Before she could make it past the seawall which obscured them from sight, he held her wrist in a sudden firm grip and pressed her against the rocks at her back, grazing his arm in the process. Pressing his palm over her mouth, she cringed, feeling intense pain at her back as the sharp rocks behind her dug into her flesh. She did not make a sound, only endured the pain as she followed his gaze up the hill where, unknown to her, a beach security personnel had been on patrol. Ignoring the bruise which had undoubtedly been inflicted onto him, he had not notice the injury he had inflicted on her. The only thoughts racing through his mind had been had he not pushed her, she would have definitely caught the attention of the guards
Pushing his hand away from her mouth forcefully, she gasped, unable to bear the tearing pain any longer, pulling his attention with hurried speech, "Itachi! You're hurting me!" Immediately releasing her from the pressure of his arm, he witnessed her cringing expression as her fingers lifted over her shoulder in an attempt to examine the wound. Wincing, she retracted her hand, noticing the dark discoloration on her fingers. She was bleeding. Feeling the pressure of the situation, he looked up, noticing the guard making their way to the bar where Sasuke still resided before acting. "Let's go, quickly," he whispered, taking her hand in his.
"Sakura, come sit here for a moment," Itachi's voice called out to her from their room. Sakura now stood in front of their shared bathroom mirror in her pink slip once more, trying desperately to clean the bloodied, once white hand towel in the sink. They had both changed into dried clothes and settled back into their room safely undetected. Sakura had managed to stop the bleeding from her wound, but was adamant to restore the hotel's towel back to its pristine state.
"Hang on, I've almost got it," she responded, squeezing the towel again. Itachi, who was patiently sitting on his bed with biology assignment papers still lying around, opened a small first aid kit he found near the nightstand. It was a lucky find but much to his expectation, there were only few useful tools in it.
"Sakura, forget about it, please come sit," he insisted, glancing up at her through the open bathroom door.
"Alright I'm coming," she sighed slightly, wringing the towel one last time before placing it on the towel rack to dry. Approaching him on the bed, she sat near the edge in front of him then gathered her now damp pink strands together and brought it over her shoulder and out of the way. "How bad is it?" she asked as he pressed his warm fingers against her smooth shoulders. Leaning forward, Itachi brushed his fingers near to the gash, investigating the severity. It was a long in length, stretching from either shoulder blades but nothing too serious.
"It isn't that deep, but we need to sanitize it now before it gets infected," he informed, grabbing a cotton swab and the bottle of hydrogen peroxide from the kit.
"Would it be alright if I borrowed one of your shirts tomorrow? I don't want anyone seeing it," she asked, folding her legs up onto the bed.
"Sure," looking up at her back once more, he sighed feeling totally responsible for inflicting such a wound onto her untouched body, "Sakura… I'm so s-"
"That better not be an apology!" she interrupted before glancing over her shoulder, "it's all part of taking risks," she smiled slyly, meeting his sincere dark eyes.
Itachi, understanding her words, still felt like an apology was needed for his carelessness, "But-"
"No, it really is fine!" she insisted, turning her head back while giggling softly, "You Uchihas always seem to like to play rough."
Not knowing how to respond, he applied hydrogen peroxide the bundle of cotton, notifing her, "this is going to sting," in the hope to prepare her for the further pain he was about to deliver to her.
"Just do it, Uchiha sen..sei," she dragged out the words, teasing him some more. Itachi's eyebrow twitched this time, clearly annoyed with her choice of addressing him, smirked before dabbing the cotton over the wound. Wincing instantly upon contact, Sakura instinctively grabbed onto his leg, digging her sea green colored nails into his flesh. The pain was alarming, almost unbearable at first but after some time it receded and finally ceased. Itachi, satisfied with his retaliation, had not mind in the least of the pain her nails inflicted on him, he savored it, acknowledging it as her response to his revenge. "That was mean!" she wined when the pain resided.
"So were you," he smirked, his words were spoken without thought. Giggling at him, she removed her hand from his leg, all the while failing to notice that the strap of her lacy slip had fallen down to her arm, revealing only her bare skin of her shoulder to him. It was only at that moment he recognized the fact that she was not wearing a bra. Pushing this information to the back of his mind, he waited for the white bubbles from the peroxide to disappear, to bandage the cut.
"Itachi…" her voice came again but this time, more serious, more hesitant. She did not turn to him, but she knew she had his attention. "I'm happy we went out tonight, even despite this injury" Itachi smiled, unconsciously caressing her shoulder with gentle strokes of his thumb as he waited for her to continue, "despite what people might say, you're really easy to talk to." Now applying bandages to her back, he felt her body relax under his fingers as she added, "I feel so comfortable around you," closing her lids, "like I've known you for… a… long time," her words started to become strained and he easily perceived that she was beginning to give in to her exhaustion. It must have been almost three in the morning by now so it was only understandable. He did not respond, her words meant so much to him yet he was unable to formulate a response, moreover, unable to formulate how he felt. Happy? No, I was far more than just plain happiness.
As he securing the last of her bandages, he was taken off guard when he felt her back pressed into his chest. He did not move, he couldn't. Leaning forward ever so slightly, he observing her parted lips and her slow peaceful breathing, 'She's asleep,' he concluded. Securing her frame in his arms, her jasmine scent filled his senses, taunting him naughtily in him position. Why does this one girl break his resolve so easily, so effortlessly? Burying his head between her neck and shoulder, he inhaled deeper, wrapping his arms around her slender, delicate waist, hugging her tenderly.
Pulling her gently further onto his bed, he tossed all the stay papers into the box, out of the way before pushing it to the floor, simply anywhere but the bed. Carefully laying her down on the soft cotton pillows, he reluctantly released her and pulled back slowly, being careful not to wake her. "S-Sakura?" he gasped lightly, feeling a soft pull of his shirt as he turned and was about to leave her on his bed. Whether it was a conscious act or not, he overlooked it as he returned to her side, lying down quietly next to her.
He felt so close to her now. No, not simply close, tonight they had formed something deeper. Seeing her now, in her most physically vulnerable state, proved to him that she had somehow developed a sense of trust in him, an unspoken contract of dependence for him. "Sakura…" his tone was soft and affectionate as he brushed his fingers over her stray bangs. His heart was, for the first time in what seemed like years, throbbing with emotion, an emotion he knew once before, an emotion he had not realized until now that he had missed so dearly, an emotion he was not sure he would easily be able to give up again. Whether he liked it or not, his heart had decided for him, his fate. The only thing left to for him now, was to figure out whether he should confess these feelings to the world or bear it in silence.
'Forgive me…Sasuke,' he begged, savoring the image of her as he finally closed his eyes.
It had only been a couple hours ago when Itachi had finally drifted off to sleep. It was a slightly difficult task to achieve as his mind was busy trying to wrap around how he felt about the beauty sleeping peacefully next to him. Itachi had been forced from his slumber from the repetitive knocking at the front door, it was not particularly hurried thumping but enough to alarm anyone at that hour in the morning. He noticed Sakura had stirred only slightly, grumbling lightly before turning and resuming her rest. As quickly as his body would let him, Itachi sling his feet over the bed and made his way to the disturbance. Subconsciously, he thanked himself for locking their bedroom door when they had got in after their swim. He would not have been able to explain sleeping in the same bed with his rosette student.
Reaching the front door, Itachi sighed, bracing himself for the eminent situation he would be faced with on the other side of the door.
"Does he belong to you?" a dark haired man Itachi recognized as the bartender from earlier, propped up Sasuke's arm over his shoulder.
"Sasuke?" Itachi knitted his brows in confusion. His brother was a mess, his hair was disheveled and flat, clear contrast from his usual spikey ends, his eyes dark with deep bags around them and his breath strong with alcohol.
"He was persistent not to leave the bar. He's not too bad given the circumstances. I've seen other men take down fifteen drinks and couldn't even walk after. This guy here is tough," the young bartender praised nudging the younger Uchiha.
"Thank you," Sasuke muttered to the man before pushing to walk through the door alone.
"No problem man, you made my shift interesting," he smirked, watching Sasuke lower himself on the large leather sofa of the living room. "Make sure he gets some rest alright," instructing Itachi before leaving. Bowing in polite acknowledgement, Itachi shut the door and turned his attention to the slumped over Sasuke.
"You stayed out all night?" Itachi asked the obvious, not as an inquiry but as to express his disappointment. It was at moments such as these when Itachi had not only the task of being an older brother to his sibling but to take up the role as a guiding father as well.
"So it would seem huh?" Sasuke slumped forward and buried his head into his palms, propping his elbows onto his knees. Feeling completely wrecked, Sasuke immediately held back the urge to throw up, his regret how kicking him.
"This isn't like you," folding his arms, the elder Uchiha moved towards the adjacent couch, sitting comfortably waiting for his explanation, not as bothered by his weariness as he did previously. It was impossible for him to be when it came to Sasuke, especially when he was in such a deranged state.
"It isn't…is it," Sasuke responded as he pulled his hands from his face. Lifting to his feet, Sasuke staggered across the living room, peering into the opened door where he knew Sakura laid sleeping. Observing her slumbering frame curled into a fetal position atop a mass of rumpled sheets, he sighed. Her breathing was slow and peaceful, her nightgown riding up, revealing the crouch of her white lacey underwear. Itachi's analytical gaze following his brother across the room, having little fear of him discovering that they had slept in the same bed, simply tried to break down the meaning behind his words. "Why… for such an amazing girl as her… why can't I bring myself to love her?"
'So it's about her,' Itachi concluded closing his lids. Silenced at his brother's words, Itachi was unable to determine the most appropriate response, his guilt suffocating him once more.
"I care about her and I know how badly fooling around would hurt her… so why?" he admitted his weakness to the person he respected most, "why am I still so tempted to sleep with her-"
"Because she's very attractive," Itachi stated plainly feeling Sasuke's immediate gaze on him, it was after all, an unexpected statement for him. Closing in the bedroom door, Sasuke returned to the sofa, sighing into it as he sat, causing his alcohol laden breath filling the air of the room. Planting his fingers into his tangled dark bangs, he laid his head onto the edge of the couch, focusing his eyes to the ceiling.
"I refuse to believe that I'm that shallow," Sasuke sighed in a strained voice, slightly irritated at his brother's words.
"As do I," Itachi commented, maintaining a calm indifferent exterior. It was uncomfortable enough discussing Sasuke's lovers with him, far more so when it came to Sakura.
"But, she's as good as they get, not just hot. She's smart, mature, affectionate…But I…" he said trying desperately to come to some realization, any realization. He had debated it all in his mind last night, yet came up empty, "I can't do it. I can't be with her."
"Then you need to be careful," he warned, crossing his arms over his chest, "without the intention of committing to her, as she is your close friend, standing by her side can only lead to further temptation and her misery if your resolve is not strong."
Planting his face into his palms again he continued in a higher volume, "I know that! That's what's fucking killing me! The fact that I promised her that I won't touch her anymore, the fact that we agreed to just move on."
"Sasuke, you're being too hard on yourself," Itachi smiled, stretching his hand so that it may rest affectionately atop his brother's head. "I'm sure your promise was sincere at the time," he mentioned trying to calm his sibling, "but," shifting uncomfortably as the words came to mind "it gets difficult keeping to those promises, indulging in such pleasures is an easy weakness for us men," he offered, retreating his hand.
Sasuke was silent, perfectly able to reach that conclusion on his own. "Why can't I love her?" he asked, leaning back onto the couch again. It had not been a rhetorical question. No, Sasuke knew something was wrong and desperately wanted an answer, any answer, "I care about her but things are just, not like… I'm just not like what I used to be," Sasuke sighed, relaxing his arms so they laid lifeless on the leather cushion.
'Like you used to be?' Itachi pondered for a while before understanding fully the reality of his brother's complex, the problem he had been unable to identify yet searching for its solution. Disappointed in himself for not considering it before, Itachi dared, "you mean like how you were with Hanare?" he concluded. Taking his brother's silence as confirmation, he added, "I see. Perhaps that's your problem then." Taking a moment to choose his words so as not to offend the vulnerable Uchiha, Itachi glanced at his brother's disheveled bowed head and prescribed his opinion on the matter. "You've been rummaging through your soul all night trying to discover the reason why you feel you've changed, why you believe that you no longer appreciate a woman's love, more so your dear friend's love… using her as a means of satisfying your own sensual desires instead of loving her as you did Hanare… but." Sasuke remained silent despite the painfully true of his brother's words. "You cannot force yourself to love someone Sasuke, especially when you haven't recovered from your previous love."
"What do you mean?! Hanare and I broke up over a year now! I don't give a fuck about her!" Sasuke's voice climbing in anger, his intoxication obviously influencing this. Itachi acknowledged his brother's defense towards his old lover but persisted nevertheless, dealing with a tempered Sasuke was not a new task for him.
"Calm down Sasuke, I'm not saying that you still have those sorts of feelings for her, however, it is possible that this change you are observing is simply your lack of progression. One cannot grow whilst being constricted by such a betrayal. What happened between you two is not something someone easily forgets," Itachi stated hearing the screech of a door further down the hall, his brother's shouting obviously waking Naruto from his sleep. "I'd imagine anyone would be unable to fully trust another woman after her unfaithfulness towards you. You need more time to properly begin to trust again" he commented, getting to his feet, hearing the tapping of feet approaching.
"Hn…"
"You said it yourself Sasuke, perhaps you are the one that just isn't ready for a commitment."
"Everything ok? I heard yelling," Naruto mumbled rubbing his eyes. Based on his tousled hair, wrinkled clothing and fatigued disposition, it was safe to conclude that Sasuke had woken him from his sleep.
"It's nothing… go back to sleep Naruto…" Sasuke muttered biting down on his lower lip, not bothering to look up. Naruto, feeling the dire urge to resume his rest, stumbled onto the couch and within seconds, fell limp into slumber. Itachi could not help but smile at the light murmuring and snores from the blond moments later.
"Don't worry about yesterday, it would seem as though Sakura is stronger than she looks, I'm sure she'd be okay." Kneeling in front of Sasuke, who maintained a solemn bowed position, looked up to meet Itachi's gaze. "Otouto, go clean up and get some rest," he smiled, ruffling his little brother's head further. Itachi, meeting his unsure eyes added, "Just focus on yourself for a while little brother, I'm sure you'd figure things out soon." Nodding lightly, Sasuke wrapped his arm around his brother's shoulders and supported his weight against him as they both lifted to their feet.
Stumbling for a few paces on his own, Sasuke leaned his hands against the walls of the room for support as he made his way to the bedroom Naruto had previously emerged from. As he was about to leave Itachi, he paused and looked over his shoulder at him, "Itachi, you ought to start following your own advice. It's been three years since that… woman," his voice was harsh and unforgiving as he remembered Shizune, "quite frankly, I think you need a new one."
Although not expecting such a statement, the elder Uchiha maintained an indifferent expression and responded, "maybe this year things may change," smiling lightly as his mind went to Sakura. Itachi, after watching his brother retire, ignored the snoring blond on the sofa and returned to his room to get some more sleep. As he closed the bedroom door behind him, he left it unlocked this time, deciding it was wise to sleep in a separate bed from now on. Noticing Sakura stirring slightly, he paused and approached her silently, leaning over her and lightly tossing her loose strands off her forehead.
Groaning, Sakura turned upon contact and involuntarily muttered in a partially audible voice, "…Sas…uke." Retreating his fingers almost immediately, Itachi sighed lightly but still maintained his smile. She still loved his brother and despite the circumstances, she still belonged to him. Whether she liked it or not, his name was still etched into heart and could still be savored on her lips. A resolve he wanted so badly to help her change as long as she willed it.
Climbing onto the opposite bed, he laid down before forcing his eyes close, "maybe this year…"
It was Monday morning already and Itachi had only just rushed out of the shower in his apartment. Somehow he had lost track of time this morning, leaving him only a half hour to get to school. Today was one of those days where he simply did not want to leave his bed. Cursing under his breath, he wrapped a white towel around his waist despite his dripping wet frame exiting the bathroom in search of his work attire for the day. Just as he was about to pull the top drawer of his cupboard open, he heard the chime of the doorbell echoing through his apartment. Cursing more loudly this time, he kitted his brows together while he abandoned his current task. 'Who the hell could that be?' he pondered and he made his way down the stairs into the living room. Upon reaching his front door, the bell chimed once more, 'Hn.' Unlocking the door, he pulled it opened and withheld his gasp at the figure which stood in his immediate vision.
Staring back at his was a man, fairly older than he was with a joyful smirk painted upon his pale face. His raven hair was short and held messy waves and curls arbitrarily strewn atop his head and against his neck. His eyes, a similar shade to that of his brother and his own, were onxy and intense, framed by his thigh long eyelashes. His toned, attractive masculine frame was attired neatly in a long sleeve black shirt and a matching pair of long black trousers, which could be passed for business attire. "Ah it's been a while," he said in a voice all too familiar to Itachi, pushing the door open all the way.
"…Shisui."
A/N
I'm planning to have sooo much fun with Shisui's character. . *evil grin* He's gonna be really naughty!
But thanks for the support you guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Lemme know your thoughts.
Until next time! ('.')
